OSTOMY POUCH APPARATUS WITH CLOSABLE OPENING
An ostomy pouch apparatus including a first and second sheets of flexible sheet material having perimeter edge portions and respective broad surface portions, the first and second sheets joined at the perimeter edge portions to form a pouch having an interior portion between the first and second sheets. The apparatus includes a waste admitting opening on the broad surface portion of the first sheet for admitting and subsequently removing a waste holding bag disposed within the interior portion of the pouch, and a coupling disposed about the waste admitting opening for connecting to a flange secured to a waste releasing opening on a patient. At least one of the broad surface portions of the pouch includes a closable opening for admitting a waste holding bag, and that reduces the risk of spillage of the contents of the waste holding bag as it is removed from the pouch.
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1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an ostomy pouch apparatus having a closable opening and more particularly to an ostomy pouch apparatus having a closable opening on a broad face thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional ostomy pouch commonly has a single opening through which a disposable ostomy bag is loaded to and removed from the pouch and through which waste material is admitted into the disposable ostomy bag inside the pouch. The opening must be configured to fit an ostomy opening on a patient and thus its size and shape are thereby limited. The conventional pouch may include further openings such as a drainage opening at the bottom of the pouch for draining spilled waste material or condensation or an access opening through which the disposable ostomy bag may be accessed and opened to release excess gas trapped therein. However, as these openings are not configured for loading and removing a disposable ostomy bag from the conventional ostomy pouch, using these openings in such a manner leads to problems.
Because the access opening of a conventional ostomy pouch is not configured in size, shape, location or orientation for loading and removing the disposable ostomy bag therethrough, physical limitations make loading and removing the disposable ostomy bag using the access opening difficult and cumbersome. Further, drainage openings are usually located at the bottom of the ostomy pouch and as a result, trapped waste material can be released when they are opened. Thus, loading and removing a disposable ostomy bag using a drainage opening can result in unwanted spillage of the trapped waste material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided an ostomy pouch apparatus. The apparatus includes first and second sheets of flexible sheet material having perimeter edge portions and respective broad surface portions, the first and second sheets joined at the perimeter edge portions to form a pouch having an interior portion between the first and second sheets. The apparatus also includes a waste admitting opening on the broad surface portion of the first sheet for admitting intestinal waste material into a waste holding bag when the waste holding bag is disposed within the interior portion of the pouch. The apparatus further includes a coupling on the broad surface portion of the first sheet, the coupling being disposed about the waste admitting opening and operable to connect to a flange secured to a patient about a waste releasing opening on the patient to place the waste admitting opening in communication with the waste releasing opening such that intestinal waste material from the waste releasing opening is admitted to the waste holding bag through the waste admitting opening. The apparatus also includes a closable opening on at least one of the broad surface portions for admitting the waste holding bag into the interior portion of the pouch such that the waste holding bag can be positioned in the pouch such that intestinal waste material is directed into the waste holding bag when the coupling is connected to the flange. The closable opening further permits the waste holding bag to be removed from the pouch therethrough to reduce the risk of spillage of the contents of the waste holding bag as the waste holding bag is removed from the pouch.
The closable opening may include a slit.
The closable opening may be oriented on the at least one of the broad surface portions such that the closable opening extends in a direction that is generally vertically aligned when the apparatus is secured to the patient.
The closable opening may be oriented on the at least one of the broad surface portions such that the closable opening extends in a diagonal direction when the apparatus is secured to the patient.
The sheet associated with the at least one of the broad surface portions having the closable opening may have a lateral axis and the closable opening extends at an angle of between about 30 and about 60 degrees to the lateral axis.
The sheet associated with the at least one of the broad surface portions having the closable opening may have a lateral axis and the closable opening extends at an angle of about 45 degrees to the lateral axis.
The closable opening may have a first terminus and a second terminus disposed at opposite ends thereof.
The first terminus may be disposed adjacent an upper portion of the perimeter edge portion of the second sheet and the second terminus is disposed adjacent and spaced apart from a lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the second sheet.
The first terminus may be disposed adjacent the coupling on the broad surface portion of the first sheet and the second terminus is disposed adjacent and spaced apart from a lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the first sheet.
The second terminus may be spaced apart from the lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the second sheet by between about 1.3 centimeters and about 2.5 centimeters.
The second terminus may be spaced apart from the lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the second sheet by about 2 centimeters.
The second terminus may be spaced apart from the lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the first sheet by between about 1.3 centimeters and about 2.5 centimeters.
The second terminus may be spaced apart from the lower portion of the perimeter edge portion of the first sheet by about 2 centimeters.
The closable opening may include first and second opposite elongated edge portions operable to couple to each other such that the closable opening may be closed when the first and second opposite elongated edge portions may be coupled to each other.
The apparatus may include provisions for maintaining the closable opening in a closed state.
The provisions for maintaining the closable opening in a closed state may include a zipper.
The closable opening may have a length of about 15 centimeters.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
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The broad surface portion 28 of the second sheet 22 faces outwardly from the patient 12 in a direction opposite the broad surface portion 26 of the first sheet 20. The perimeter edge portions 24 and 25 are joined such as by ultrasonic welding to form a pouch 27 having an interior portion 34 between the first and second sheets 20 and 22.
The first sheet 20 has a waste admitting opening 30 on the broad surface portion 26. The waste admitting opening 30 is for receiving and admitting intestinal waste material into a waste holding bag shown in broken outline at 32 disposed inside the interior portion 34. The waste holding bag 32 may be of the type sold by Colo-Majic Liners Inc. of North Vancouver, British Columbia, for example.
The apparatus 10 further includes a coupling 40 disposed on the broad surface portion 26 of the first sheet 20. The coupling 40 is disposed about the waste admitting opening 30 and is operable to connect to a flange such as shown at 42 in
A particular advantage of the apparatus 10 is that it includes a closable opening shown generally at 50 for admitting the waste holding bag 32 into the interior portion 34 of the pouch 27. In the embodiment shown in
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In one embodiment, the angle 58 is between about 30 and about 60 degrees, or in the embodiment shown about 45 degrees with respect to the lateral axis.
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Such coupling may be effected by forming the first and second opposite elongated edge portions 52 and 54 with structure similar to that found in a Ziploc™ brand slider storage and freezer bag and providing a closure actuator 70, also as found on a conventional Ziploc™ brand slider storage and freezer bag, to be coupled to the first and second opposite elongated edge portions to pull them together and cause them to couple in a closed position. Thus, the first and second opposite elongated edge portions 52 and 54 and the closure actuator 70 form a zipper. The zipper permits the closable opening 50 to be easily opened and closed by simply operating the closure actuator 70 in opposite directions.
Alternatively, the first and second opposite elongated edge portions 52 and 54 may be formed to overlap and may be fitted with complementary portions of a hook and loop fastener system (not shown).
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Next, the closure actuator 70 may be actuated into the position shown in
To discard the waste holding bag 32, the coupling 40 is disconnected from the flange 42 and the apparatus 10 is pulled away from the patient 12 whereupon the closure actuator 70 (shown in
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While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. An ostomy pouch apparatus comprising:
- first and second sheets of flexible sheet material having perimeter edge portions and respective broad surface portions, said first and second sheets joined at said perimeter edge portions to form a pouch having an interior portion between said first and second sheets;
- a waste admitting opening on said broad surface portion of said first sheet for admitting intestinal waste material into a waste holding bag when said waste holding bag is disposed within said interior portion of said pouch;
- a coupling on said broad surface portion of said first sheet, said coupling being disposed about said waste admitting opening and operable to connect to a flange secured to a patient about a waste releasing opening on said patient to place said waste admitting opening in communication with said waste releasing opening such that intestinal waste material from said waste releasing opening is admitted to said waste holding bag through said waste admitting opening; and
- a closable opening on at least one of said broad surface portions for admitting said waste holding bag into said interior portion of said pouch such that said waste holding bag can be positioned in said pouch such that intestinal waste material is directed into said waste holding bag when said coupling is connected to said flange, said closable opening further permitting said waste holding bag to be removed from said pouch therethrough to reduce the risk of spillage of the contents of said waste holding bag as said waste holding bag is removed from said pouch.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said closable opening comprises a slit.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2 wherein said closable opening is oriented on said at least one of said broad surface portions such that said closable opening extends in a direction that is generally vertically aligned when said apparatus is secured to the patient.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2 wherein said closable opening is oriented on said at least one of said broad surface portions such that said closable opening extends in a diagonal direction when said apparatus is secured to the patient.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sheet associated with said at least one of said broad surface portions having said closable opening has a lateral axis and wherein said closable opening extends at an angle of between about 30 and about 60 degrees to said lateral axis.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sheet associated with said at least one of said broad surface portions having said closable opening has a lateral axis and wherein said closable opening extends at an angle of about 45 degrees to said lateral axis.
7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said closable opening has a first terminus and a second terminus disposed at opposite ends thereof.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first terminus is disposed adjacent an upper portion of said perimeter edge portion of said second sheet and wherein said second terminus is disposed adjacent and spaced apart from a lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said second sheet.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said first terminus is disposed adjacent said coupling on said broad surface portion of said first sheet and wherein said second terminus is disposed adjacent and spaced apart from a lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said first sheet.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second terminus is spaced apart from said lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said second sheet by between about 1.3 centimeters and about 2.5 centimeters.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second terminus is spaced apart from said lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said second sheet by about 2 centimeters.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said second terminus is spaced apart from said lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said first sheet by between about 1.3 centimeters and about 2.5 centimeters.
13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said second terminus is spaced apart from said lower portion of said perimeter edge portion of said first sheet by about 2 centimeters.
14. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said closable opening comprises first and second opposite elongated edge portions operable to couple to each other such that said closable opening is closed when said first and second opposite elongated edge portions are coupled to each other.
15. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 13 further comprising means for maintaining said closable opening in a closed state.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said means for maintaining said closable opening in a closed state comprises a zipper.
17. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 16 wherein said closable opening has a length of about 15 centimeters.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 12, 2010
Publication Date: May 9, 2013
Patent Grant number: 9033944
Applicant: COLO-MAJIC ENTERPRISES LTD. (North Vancouver, BC)
Inventor: Douglas H. Wolrich (North Vancouver)
Application Number: 13/811,203
International Classification: A61F 5/445 (20060101);